Sailor Moon: Angel Genesis
by Kitaye
Summary: After the defeat of Galaxia, the Sailor Soldiers now have a new mission to face. They must find the Sun Stone and return it to the Princess of the Sun. But who is that Princess, and why has Luna hidden her from their memories? Also, who are the Solar Guardians, the mysterious Soldiers who protect her?
1. Chapter 1: Finally, Love for Makoto

"Agh!" I scream as I'm thrust backwards, right into the wall of a shop. I struggle back onto my feet, bracing myself for another attack, but it doesn't come. I look up, only to find that there are two figures standing in front of me. As my vision slowly focuses, I recognize what can only be Owari's unique six-stranded braid. However, I can't figure out who the other figure is. It looks to be a male. He's about six foot two, and he's got dirty blonde hair. _Asanuma_. The name registers, but I shake my head. _It can't be him,_ I think, _because he's still in Taiko._ Still, I can't think of anyone else who's built this way. Strong and very muscular. A perfect example of what an athlete might look like, except for the fact that he didn't like sports. He loved singing, though. He used to sing with me, back when I was in Taiko as well. Why would Asanuma be here, though?

The man leans down to talk to me, breaking me out of my reminiscence. "Here, Sonnen. Let me help you." He reaches for my hand, and as I place it in his hand, he pulls me close to him. "Here we go," he says to me, and then we're flying over Tokyo.

I have to ask. I just can't help myself. "Who are you?" I try to keep my voice steady, but it comes out weakly and wavers as I speak. He turns to me with a look of surprise. _Those eyes_. Those deep, navy-blue eyes. "_Asanuma._" The name escapes my lips before I can stop it. He smiles and replies, in a gentle tone of voice, "Hey. Yeah, it's me." I remember that this was the tone of voice that he used only when he was talking to me. Another memory bubbles up, but I just shove it away. I'm too tired to feel anything but my fatigue. As we land on the roof of my apartment building, I fall asleep in his arms.

When I wake up, I find that I'm lying in my bed. Someone must have changed me while I was asleep, because I'm back in my pajamas. I look over at the clock- it's 5:00. I've been asleep almost all day! _Ah, man,_ I'm thinking, _my teachers are going to kill me,_ when suddenly there's a knock on my bedroom door. I quickly sit up against the pillows and call, "Come in!" The door creaks open, and he appears in the doorway. He's dressed in a simple burgundy shirt and baggy black pants. "I see you're awake," he states. "I'll finish up dinner, then." I nod as he shuts the door. The nagging memory from earlier resurfaces. This time, I let it play.

It's a memory of my last day of school in Taiko. I'd been looking down the hallways in between every class, hoping to see Asanuma somewhere in the crowd. I had told him I was moving, so when I didn't see him in the hallways, I figured he'd come over that night to say goodbye. _Maybe he just stayed after class to ask his teachers questions. He'll surely come over to say goodbye. _I was up until nearly midnight that night, waiting for the doorbell to ring. Hoping that he hadn't forgotten. No ring ever came, though, so I went to bed feeling sad and tired. He didn't even come to see me off the next morning! As I left Taiko, feeling hollow and lonely, I swore that I wouldn't forgive him for this. Asanuma Ittou would feel the way I was feeling. I would make sure of it.

When the memory faded, it left me with a strong feeling of anger. I had almost completely forgotten about that day. So, when Asanuma came back in with dinner, I glared at him.

"Asanuma, you've got some explaining to do."

"About yesterday, or...?" He asks me calmly. I take a deep breath before answering.

"Why don't we start with my last day in Taiko?"

"What do you want to know about it?" He asks this with ease. He sits down next to me on the bed and starts fiddling with my hair, which someone took out of its ponytail and brushed out.

"Why didn't you say goodbye to me?" I look up at him expectantly. His eyes widen, almost as if he's surprised.

"What?"

"You heard me," I say. Then I repeat myself, and even though I don't mean to seem angry, it comes out that way. "Why didn't you say goodbye to me, Asanuma?" He looks shocked that I'm using this tone of voice with him. His fingers stop messing with my hair, and he lays down next to me. He sighs and looks up at the ceiling. Then he answers my question.

"You know how my mom used to beat me?" That's true. His mother did beat him, on occasion, and he'd always come running over to my house afterward. He was the oldest of the children in his house, so he always took the blunt of it. And with no father around, there was no one to stop her. I nod, and he continues. "She had gotten mad at me the night before because of my low test scores, saying that I needed to 'be a role model' to my brothers and such. So that day, I stayed after every class. I made sure I knew the material I was having trouble with. I wasn't in the hallway at all in between classes. That's probably when you were looking for me, right?" He looks over at me, and I nod again. "Then, that night, my mother didn't come home until 10:30. She was drunk. When I asked her if I could go see you to say goodbye, she screamed at me and beat me again. In the morning, when she realized what she had done and she learned that I was in a lot of pain, she made me stay home from school. And the whole time, I was thinking about you, and how I hadn't gotten to say goodbye. I was thinking about how lonely you must have felt." Tears start rolling down his face, and his words choke off. He turns back to me and says, "I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, Makoto. I hated myself, I hated my mom, I hated my life. I actually considered suicide, but the thought of you crying at my funeral, feeling empty and lonely, stopped me. Multiple times." Suddenly, I feel horrible. I realize that I can't stand the thought of losing him, either. I grab his hand, squeeze it, and then I give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Asanuma, I'm so sorry." He only nods, then he pulls me into a hug. We sit there, hugging each other, while I comfort him. Eventually, he calms down, and he stops crying. Then he pulls me away. He looks unable to speak, so I simply say, "Hey, at least you didn't lose me," which causes him to laugh a little. What he says next is so surprising, I nearly have a heart attack.

"Makoto, I... I love you."

The shock is so immediate, I can feel my heart nearly stop beating. My face must have drained of color, because he starts to look worried. "Are you alright? Makoto? Oh, please, lord, no..." Then my face flushes with color as I blush a bright red. "Oh God, you're alright. I'm sorry!" He pulls me into a tight hug. I can feel myself starting to drift off, so I get out a few words.

"I love you, too..."

I come to in Asanuma's arms. We're still on the bed, and I find that Asanuma's in his pajamas as well. He must have decided to stay the night, to make sure I'm okay. I shift a little so that I can get a clear view of his face. _He looks like a sweet child when he's asleep,_and right as I think that, he stirs. He gives a little groan, and then his eyes flutter open. "Sonnen?" The name takes me by surprise. I look at him.

"Who is 'Sonnen'?" He grabs me and pulls me close to him again.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay, Sonnen." I try to push a little away, but he won't let me go. He keeps whispering things like, "There, there," and "Sonnen, everything's alright." I start to think that he thinks I am this 'Sonnen' girl. I manage to wriggle my way to his ear.

"Asanuma, it's me. It's Makoto." This seems to bring him back to normal. He shakes his head and turns to me. I give him a look of concern.

"What just happened?" I shake my head. I really don't know. I try to give him something to work from, though.

"You woke up and asked for a girl named Sonnen. When I tried to ask you who she was, you held me tightly and started calling me Sonnen." He shakes his head slowly. Then he grabs my chin and presses my forehead to his. Suddenly, I'm in his memories.

In this memory, there's a girl who looks like me; she's tall and strong, and she's got long red hair and gold eyes. I'm just about to go ask her who she is when someone calls her name. "Sonnen!" It's a girl's voice. The next thing I see is Hotaru- at least, who I _think_ is Hotaru- run straight into Sonnen's extended arms. I watch the whole scene, and then someone's tapping me on the shoulder, and I turn around to find Asanuma right next to me.

"Follow me," he says, and then he's leading me through all of his memories from the Silver Millennium. He's either watching Sonnen or with her in every one of them. From what he's told me, Sonnen must be me. Then why don't I remember all of this? I keep asking myself that question, over and over, until we get to the last memory he has.

"Sonnen? Sonnen? Where are you? Sonnen!" The voice is coming from a prince. _Prince Hydro_, my mind tells me, _your prince_. He's running down this long corridor full of tapestries and paintings, and there are the marks of battle on the walls. Blood stains the floor in some places, but he keeps running, calling for me. We follow him as he runs into a larger room, a ballroom that's so ornately decorated it looks fake. Sonnen is leaning against the wall, and he runs over to her body. He takes her up in his arms, then he sits down, and begins to rock her from side to side, begging her to stay with him, making promises that it'll be over soon, even though it won't. That's when I see it. Sonnen's hand feebly rises, to point at an object that's flying towards Hydro. But it's to late to warn him; when he turns around, the knife pierces all the way through him, and he collapses. He's dead. Sonnen follows close behind. Her hand drops to the floor, and then she's still. After a few seconds, everything goes white, and Asanuma turns to me.

"Hydro has split part of himself from the whole. He's hoping that when he has brief flashes like I had earlier, Sonnen's- or rather, your- response would be the same." After all that I've just seen, I'm more concerned about something else.

"Asanuma, why did Luna give me false memories?" He's quiet for a little while, but then he answers.

"She was scared that giving you the real memories would cause you to become merciless, and she didn't want that to happen. Not to my sweet, kindhearted Sonnen." He taps my forehead, and we're back in the real world again, our foreheads pressed together. I start to pull myself away, but he keeps hold of my chin, and then he slides his hand to the back of my head. He slowly pulls me in, and then we're kissing. His lips are so soft and he's so warm. This kiss is perfect. It's a good thing, because this is my first kiss. He slides the fingers of his other hand through mine, interlocking our hands. Then he allows me to pull myself a little apart from him, and he keeps his hand on the back of my head. I open my eyes and find that I'm staring into the depths of his. Looking into his eyes like this makes me feel like I'm swimming in the vast, deep blue ocean. I find that I'm in danger of never returning from his eyes, but his voice brings me back.

"So, how was that for your first kiss?" How did he know? I'm looking a little shocked, so he says, "I could feel how stiff you were at first. You know, you're a good kisser, this being your first time and all." I just giggle a little. He lets me finish. "Now, break time's over," he slowly states, then he pulls me back in.


	2. Chapter 2: Just Like You

"I'll cover you! Take her home," I say to the blonde-haired boy beside me. He nods, then turns around. I can hear him tell her to allow him to help, and then I can feel the little push of air from behind me as he flies off. I focus my attention back on the monster. "Alright, let's get this over with." I take out my sai swords and twirl them around. "Your move."

The monster rushes at me. Before it can make its attack, I'm in the air above it. Its head tilts upward, following the arc of my jump. _This'll be easy,_ I think, but right as my feet hit the ground, they're whipped out from under me, and I've faceplanted into the dirty sidewalk. I get up, spitting the taste of oil and dirt out of my mouth, and turn to face the monster. _Alright, the fight's over. Here and now._ I do not want to taste that sidewalk again. Without realizing it, I raise one sword in the air. Then the words escape from my mouth before I can stop them. "Zephyr..." My arm brings the sword down over my face. "Strike!"

I close my eyes as the monster explodes. When the sounds of the explosion stop, I stand up and open my eyes. I shake my head as I realize what I did. _You promised you would never use that attack again, _I scold myself. I just sigh and put the swords away. Then I tap my Eclipse Stone and walk back home with my hands in my pockets, looking up at the bright blue sky.

Oh, I'm so rude! I should have introduced myself a long time ago... Anyways, I'm Owari. Kino Owari, to be exact. I'm the (indirect) twin of Kino Makoto. It's kind of hard to explain... I'll tell you about it.

It all started one stormy night, when Makoto was walking home. Her soccer practice had just been canceled because of the rain. She didn't know it, but she was being followed by a member of the Icechill Clan, our current enemies. So Makoto walked home, unaware. She made a wrong turn down an alley (Apparently, it was really dark out...), and when she turned to leave, she was surrounded. She tried to escape, but the Icechill members were too fast, and she was captured.

They took Makoto to their headquarters, where she was tied up. One night, while she was asleep, a captured doctor took one of her adult stem cells. The scientists of the Clan combined that cell with one of Queen Metalia's, and it became an egg. Then they changed two things in the genes: hair and eye color. They left everything else alone. That's how I was "born". As I was created from one of Makoto's cells, I aged quickly (Silver Millenium reincarnates often do, and so I did, even though I wasn't one.), and within a couple of weeks, I was a fully trained Sailor Soldier.

The Icechill Clan had trained me for one purpose: to destroy Sailor Solar Corona. They never told me that she was my twin, or that an evil part of the Sun was inside of me. Makoto and I fought in a few little skirmishes, and then we faced each other in the "final" battle.

_I have to hurry. I have to protect King Kalil! Blood, blood everywhere. Is it that of our enemies or of friends? I have no time for wondering. I must protect him, it's my duty. Here, Owari, you're here. Open the door-_

_ "King!" Oh no, that witch has him! "Put- him- DOWN!" Oh great, I just blew something up. I don't care, I need to get her away from him. _

_ "Owari, things don't have to be like this! We can be friends." That voice! It's coming from behind me... _

_ "I- I thought-" Oh, no. I've mistaken her for that wretched Sailor StarCloud. Turn back to her, Owari. You can take her. She's alone, unprotected. It's time. "You're MINE!" Attack, Owari. Attack her, save the King. I-I can't! I'm frozen; what is this? "What's going on?"_

_ "You should listen to what I have to tell you. It's important, Owari."_

_ "I'm listening. It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon." Oh God, she's bloody, she's hurt. Wait- why do I care? I-I don't care. _

_ "First of all, StarCloud is trying to heal your King." She's right. StarCloud's hands are glowing and she's chanting something. Turn back, Owari. Just listen, you might need to know this. "Secondly, the Clan lied to you. You're not King Kalil's daughter, you're my twin." No! I don't believe her. I can't! Why would the Clan have lied to me? I-I don't understand. I'm so confused!_

_ "Owari? Owari? Are you alright?" Her hand is on my shoulder. She really is worried. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to spring it on you like this!" It's okay, Owari. Let her know it's okay._

_ "I-I'm so confused. I can't do this!" _

_ "Owari?" It can't be. Why is he here? Wait- is he...? Knight Metis? I really don't care. I just need him right now. _

_ "Nobu, you're here." _

_ "Yes, Owari. I'm here for you." I can feel his arms around me. Is this what they call a hug? I guess so. It feels so good. I'm so glad he's here. _

_ "Please, stay with me." I'm drifting off, I can feel it. I don't want to be alone._

_ "Of course." _

_ I'm up now. What happened? Was that all a dream? No, it's not. Here's Nobu, he's right next to me. Are we...? Yes, we're still in the HQ. My home. No- my former home. I can't stay here anymore. It's full of lies. It's full of... It's full of..._

_ I'm running. What am I running from? I know. I'm running from everything. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I want to help. I want to help fight it. I have to help. When did I get outside? I didn't notice the doors open or close. There she is, straight ahead of me. Kino Makoto. My- What is she to me now? Enemy or friend? I want friend to be the answer. I don't want to fight her anymore. She told me the truth when no one else could. She really is the light in the darkness. My twin. The words echo in my head. My twin sister. _

_ "Oh? Owari, you're okay." There's concern in her voice. Concern. Why does she feel concerned about me? She shouldn't even trust me. But no, she's not like that. She's hugging me. Hug her back, Owari. It's okay. It's all over now. "Everything is going to be alright." Was that in my head? No, Makoto said that. Have I been hearing her voice in my head all along? It doesn't matter now. Not anymore. _

_ "Makoto, I want to join you. I don't want to be a part of this anymore." I made a gesture to the HQ. A smile lights up Makoto's face. She's happy. I'm happy, too. For some reason... _

_ "Alright." Another smile, she extends her hand. Take it, Owari. Take her hand. "Welcome to the team, Sailor Solar Eclipse." _

_ "Thank you."_

_ I swore to myself that I would never use my powers to blow something up again. I didn't want to hurt any of my new friends. I wanted to be helpful, not dangerous. And I would be._

I walk down the street, running my hand through my bangs. Sometimes, power is tempting. Especially when you have part of an ancient evil inside of you. I just have to fight through it. I can already feel Metallia leaving my body, slowly. Maybe one day, I'll be completely free. Just like you, Makoto.

_Just like you._


	3. Chapter 3: We Are One

_Makoto. _The sound of my name jerks me awake. I rub my eyes wearily. I decide I should go check on Asanuma. Right before I went back to sleep, he decided to go sleep in the living room. I tried to tell him he didn't have to, but he went anyways. So I sit up, pull the sheets back, and walk groggily down the hall, only to find Asanuma sitting on the couch, drinking what smells like caramel coffee. It must be around 8 or 9 in the morning, then. I didn't see the time.

"Why are you drinking that?" I don't like coffee. It's too bitter, and I don't want to experience the "crashed" feeling. I'd rather get a full night's sleep and have an abundance of energy. In fact, I don't even keep coffee in the apartment. He looks up from the book he was reading, then he pats the spot next to him. I walk over and sit down.

"I was up a little later than I would've liked to be. Trust me, I don't like it much either. But at least it's caramel and not some kind of 'original' crap." I nod. I guess anything is better than what they call an "original" flavor.

"What time were you up until? And what time is it now?"

"I was up until... One or two in the morning. I'm not really sure. I know it was past midnight. Right now, it's-" He checks his cell phone. It's the same old flip phone he's had since I can remember. It's dark gray with a little screen on the front that lights up with the time and date. "Almost 10 A.M." I lean back into the couch.

"Thanks." He just nods and buries his face in his book again. "What do you want to do today, Asanuma?" He turns to me as he closes his book.

"Why don't you go shower and get dressed, then we can talk about it." For some reason, I get the feeling that he's trying to avoid me. But I go to shower anyways. I'll ask him about it later.

I walk back out to the living room, dressed in a light green fitted shirt and dark blue shorts. I'm also wearing my pink rose earrings. He's dressed in a black t-shirt with a white and red jacket and dark jeans. He's still reading that book. _What _is_ that book?_ I walk over and put my hand on top of it. I push the book down gently, and he closes it. "So, what are we going to do?" He sighs softly. I think he's annoyed. "Asanuma, what is up with that book?"

"Nothing, why?" I shake my head. He still looks confused, so I explain.

"It seems like you're obsessed with it." He laughs and hugs me.

"Sorry, it's just a really good book." I push a little away.

"I would hope so, if you're so into it." We both laugh. Then he turns to go pick up the book from where he set it on the couch. Before he can get to it, I grab his arm. "Let me see it." He nods to me, then picks up the book and holds it out. The first thing I notice is the blank cover of the book. I take the book and turn it to the spine, hoping to find a title, but there's nothing there, either. _Hm, that's odd... _"What's the name of the book?"

"The clerk from the store said it's called 'The Book With No Name,' and that it's become rather popular lately." I turn back to the book. I flip through the pages, but they're all blank, just like the cover. I begin to feel confused. _What is so great about an empty book? _

"Asanuma, there's nothing in this book. The pages are all blank." He gives me an odd look, then he grabs the book and begins pointing to spots on one of the pages.

"The pages aren't blank! Can't you see the writing? Look, it says, 'You are now a member of the Clan.' You can't see it?" I gasp. 'The Clan'? It must be talking about the Icechill Clan! This book has to be a trap.

"Asanuma, put the book down." He looks shocked.

"Why? Are you just jealous because you can't read it?" Alright, _now_ I'm angry.

"No, Asanuma! Just get away from it!" I nearly scream at him, then I smack the book out of his hand and across the room. He's about to go get it when he staggers and places a hand on his forehead. I run over and kneel next to him. "Are you alright? I-I didn't mean to-" He falls to the floor, unconscious. "Asanuma!" I begin to shake him, trying to wake him up, when Ami and Owari walk through the door. (Ami is the only other person besides Asanuma and I with a key to the apartment.)

"Hey, Makoto! I figured we would just drop by to-" Ami walks into the living room, only to find me in tears over Asanuma's unconscious figure. "Oh God, what happened?" She runs over and immediately goes into her medical mode. "Owari, I'm going to need you to bring some cinnamon down to the bedroom." Owari nods and heads off to find the cinnamon. Ami turns back to me. "I'm going to need you to carry him to the bed. Can you do that?" She gives me a hug as I nod. Then I pick Asanuma up and walk to the bedroom, Ami following behind. I lay him on the bed. Ami leads me to a chair and makes me sit down. Then she goes over and checks his pulse. She comes back to the chair I'm in.

"Will he be okay?" She nods before sitting on the windowsill next to my chair.

"Makoto, can you tell me what happened?" I explain everything. How he seemed obsessed with the book, how I looked at it and found it blank, everything. Then Ami gets up and motions for me to do the same. "Alright then, let's go check out this book."

We walk back out to the living room right as Owari runs out of the kitchen with the cinnamon. Ami stops to give her instructions on what to do with it. Meanwhile, I pick the book up and bring it over to her. She carefully takes the book from me and begins to leaf through the pages. She comes to the same conclusion I did. "It's blank." She turns back to me. "Maybe we should have Luna and Artemis look at it." I nod, then I take out my communicator watch. I put out a call to Luna, and she picks up within seconds.

"Makoto? What's up?" Ami and I explain what happened and how we think the book might be connected to it. Luna agrees to come over and take a look. Then Usagi comes on, and she says that she'll come, too. "I'll call Minako and Rei as well," Luna says before hanging up.

A few minutes later, the whole gang is over at my apartment, and I'm making snacks and tea. It's good that I have something to keep me occupied, though, because Asanuma's still unconscious, and we've tried several things to get him up. I turn to see Owari sitting at the kitchen table. She gestures to the open seat next to her, and I go to sit down.

"Luna thinks that the book is some kind of trap as well. She also thinks that since Asanuma hasn't fully activated his power as Knight Hydro, he fell for it. Luna says that the 'book' is feeding off of Asanuma's energy, and that until we get rid of it, he won't wake up." This is not what I need to hear. I sigh as I run my hand through my hair. "Also, since there are millions of these books out there now, we think one central monster must be running all of them." I look up at this.

"So we just need to find the central monster?" Owari nods. "You know, Owari, I'm not sure what I'd do if you were still against us." She giggles.

"I guess we'll never know."

* * *

_I'm running, running towards where I can hear his voice. Asanuma! I try to yell, but no sound comes out. He's suffering. I can feel it. He's screaming for me, screaming for my help. The closer I get to him, the farther he gets from me. I stop running, and I look around. Where am I? This place looks familiar. I'm on the roof of a building, high above the world. He yells. He's in pain. I have to save him. I have to- No! The roof is caving in? I'm falling! _"Asanuma!"

I jolt awake in a cold sweat. I'm panting. As I calm down, I realize that the apartment is filled with silence. I can't hear Asanuma's breathing anymore. I jump off the couch and race into the room, to find that once I step inside, the sound of his breathing fills the air again. It almost makes me believe that he's asleep, but he's not. He's been like this for four days. _A coma,_ my mind tells me. _And all because of that stupid book. _I shuffle back into the living room and lay on the couch. Then I do something I thought I'd never do. I cry until I fall asleep.

* * *

Five unsuccessful days of searching for a monster that seems to be invisible. What good'll it do to search for a sixth day? Mercury and I sit on the roof of a tall building, waiting for any possible disturbances. For some reason, this seems familiar. Why? I don't remember my nightmare from two days ago. I have the book under my arm. I'm about to hand it to Mercury so I can go search the area when I feel it move. I take it out from under my arm, and she walks over. "What's wrong?"

"I could swear I just felt the book _move_." She laughs a little.

"Maybe you've been holding it too long. Here," she takes the book from me. Suddenly, it flips open, and all the pages start ripping out and flying away. Both of us look at the book in awe, then we nod. We follow the book's pages, hoping to find a lead to where our monster is. I give the rest of the team a call as we're moving. They agree to come and find us.

We end up following the pages to the square where Crown Fruit Parlor and the arcade are located. The pages are slowly filing into a tornado of book pages. _They must be from all the other books. _The pages start whirling violently, then they start to form a figure. "The monster!" Mercury and I yell at the same time. We prepare to fight it.

* * *

We're failing. The monster has disappeared again. We're all panting, and Mercury's healing some major papercuts that the monster gave Rei and Usagi. I walk further out onto the ledge where we are and scan the thick fog, hoping to find some trace of the monster. Suddenly, I hear it. _His voice. _It's as if I were back at the apartment, as if I had succeded in defeating the monster, as if he had woken up from his coma. I'm getting angrier when I hear it again. He's yelling my name. He sounds hurt. I can hear nothing but his voice anymore. I take off running. _I'm running, running toward where I can hear his voice. _"Asanuma!" This time, the sound does come out. A sharp pain courses through me. _He's suffering. I can feel it. _I keep running.

He's yelling. "Makoto! Makoto, help me!" _He's screaming for me, screaming for my help. _It seems that with every step I take, his voice grows more distant. _The closer I get to him, the farther he gets from me. _I can't believe this is happening. I can't run any further. _I stop running, and I look around. _Where am I? No way...! I'm back where Mercury and I were just a little while ago. The rooftop... _He yells. He's in pain. _"Makoto! Agh...!" I have to save him. I take a step forward... And the roof starts to collapse, threatening to send me down into the darkness below. _I'm falling!_

"Asanuma!" There's a sudden flash of light. I'm momentarily blinded. When I can see again, I notice that I'm not falling. I look around me and I see angel's wings protruding from my back. _No way. I have wings! _"I'm flying!" I start to laugh with happiness that I'm not dead. Then I hear it again.

"_**Makoto!**_" My elation disappears as I turn toward the sound. I spot the monster to my left, holding what can only be Asanuma's spirit. I turn towards them, an expression of serious determination on my face. _Don't worry, Asanuma. I'll save you._

_I believe you will. _His voice sounds clearly in my head, and I gasp. Have we always been able to talk through our minds? No time to question that now. I have to finish this.

"Hey, you!" The monster turns what I think is his papery face towards me. "How dare you use such a great source of knowledge for such an evil purpose! You won't get away with this!" I hear a high-pitched, whiny voice come from the monster.

"Who are you?" I pull out the Sun katana and whirl it around in a star shape.

"I am Sailor Solar Corona, guardian goddess of the Solar Kingdom! For your crime, you shall pay!" I hold the katana with the dull edge against the palm of my left hand, and I hold that directly in front of my chest. The monster whips a flurry of pages at me, which I easily fly above. Then, in midair, I hold the katana up to the sun. While it gathers energy into a ball at the tip, I shout, "Angelic Rhapsody... Aurora!" I swing it downward, and the energy shoots out in different directions, converging to make one solid blade of light. As the blade hits the monster, it shrieks and fades away, releasing people's energy. Asanuma's spirit floats downward, and I fly towards it. I catch it midair and my necklace (that Asanuma gave me a long time ago) glows as his spirit finds a resting place inside of it. I slide the katana back into its holder as my feet hit solid ground, and I turn to go home, to find that the other Senshi were watching the whole time. I blush, and they all begin clapping. Owari steps forward.

"You did an excellent job there," she smiles, "but you already knew that." We both laugh. Everyone surrounds me, telling me how well I did. I graciously accept their congratulations. Then I remember the necklace, and I quickly push through the other Senshi, taking off at a full sprint for my apartment.

When I return to the apartment, I rush into the bedroom. I burst through the doorway, panting heavily from my run. Asanuma's sitting up on the bed, looking shocked and surprised. "Asa...numa, I...I thou...ght you w-were-" He quickly strides over and puts his finger on my lips, to quiet me. _As long as it is in your hands, my spirit will be safe, and I'll stay with you. If my spirit gets into the hands of evil, I will feel unsafe, and go into a comatose state until I feel safe again. _

"It's complicated." He smiles gently. Seeing that I'm about to fall over, he picks me up and carries me back into the living room. It's crazy, how safe I feel in his arms. How... Protected. Like the evil in this world can't touch us as long as we're together. Like we are one spirit, one soul, one being.

_We are one._


	4. Interlude: Apologies and Chapter Preview

A/N:

Dear Reader,

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been slacking on this story. I know that this is one of the few MakoIttou stories out there because this is such a small ship (please feel free to get your friends to jump aboard our little ship!) and I feel that I've let you, the reader, down.

Here's a snippet of a chapter that I'm working on, just so this whole chapter isn't just an AN.

_I wake to the sound of _screaming. Makoto must be having another nightmare. That's every day of the week that she's had one. Every time I ask her what they're about, she claims she doesn't know. She always was a horrible liar.

Makoto goes everywhere with the necklace I gave her, the one that protects my soul. I think- no, I'm certain that she's scared that she'll lose it, just like she did a long time ago, in the Silver Millennium. Have I ever told you that story? No, I suppose not.

It all started on her fifteenth birthday...

A/N: Sorry for that preview being so short, I have to keep you guys curious somehow! Anyways, I estimate that this next chapter will be up in about a week (as I have school and driver's ed-ugh!) and then this little preview will be taken down in lieu of the actual chapter.

Thanks for sticking with this story!

Kitaye, a.k.a. Sailor Castellar.


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